An aircraft may use an onboard weather radar system to detect adverse weather conditions, which may enable the flight crew to make changes to the flight plan as necessary to avoid potentially hazardous weather. The onboard weather radar system may be mounted on the aircraft and may use radar scans to detect reflected radar signals from weather formations such as convective weather cells associated with turbulence, rain, lightning, and hail. Up-to-date weather information may assist the flight crew of the aircraft in evaluating whether or how to modify a flight plan to ensure safety of the flight, as well as to promote fuel efficiency, time efficiency, and passenger comfort. The onboard weather radar system may control weather radar scanning and may process radar return signals to present a visual weather radar display. An aircraft in flight may also receive information from Air Traffic Control (ATC) which may use information from ground-based weather radar stations to identify convective weather regions that represent hazardous areas for aircraft operations, and direct aircraft to steer clear of hazardous areas as they are detected.